Canning your own elderberries is also quite easy. Here's
how to make it, in 12 easy steps and completely illustrated. These
directions work equally well for regular sugar, low sugar, fruit juice-sweetened
and Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you'll need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, -sweetened jam.

Sugar - About 3 cups of dry, granulated (table) sugar. See
step 6. It
is possible to make low-sugar, fruit juice-sweetened, or Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you'll need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, -sweetened
fig jam; I'll point out the differences below.

Equipment

Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)- Big box stores and grocery stores sometimes carry them; and it is available online - see this page. It's a tremendously useful to put jars in the canner and
take the hot jars out (without scalding yourself!). The kit sold
below has everything you need, and at a pretty good price:

Ball jars (Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger, Safeway carry them, as do some big box stores - about $7.50 per dozen
pint
ounce
jars including the lids and rings)

Jar funnel ($2 at Target, other big box stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see this page) or order it as part of the kit
with the jar grabber.

Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with
a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They
may only be used once.

Rings - metal bands that secure the lids
to the jars. They may be reused many times.

Optional stuff:

Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling
water where you sanitize them. ($2 at big box stores or it comes in the kit at left)

Directions - Step by Step

This example shows you how to make canned elderberries. The yield from this recipe is about 7 pint jars per 9
pints of raw berries.

Step 1 - Pick the elderberries! (or buy them already
picked)

It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better
quality ones!

I prefer to grow my own; which is
really easy, don't require pesticides and they make beautiful landscaping
plants with red/gold leaves in the Autumn -
but that does take some space and time.

As mentioned in the Ingredients
section; you may use frozen elderberries (those without syrup or added sugar);
which is especially useful if you want to make some jam in December to give
away at Christmas!

Choose ripe, sweet berries with uniform color.
At left
are elderberries almost ripe! If you want to pick your own, here is a
list and links to the pick your own farms.

Step 2 - How much fruit?

Canned
elderberries can be made in large or small batches - you can can one jar at a
time if that's all you have.

Step
3 - Wash the jars and lids

Now's a good time to get the jars ready, so you won't be rushed later.
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle, the water bath processing will
sanitize them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher with a sanitize cycle, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then
sanitize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot
water until they are used.

NOTE: If unsanitized jars are used, the product should be processed
for 5 more minutes.

Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until
you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from
breaking when you fill them with the hot jam. Some newer dishwashers
even have a "sanitize" setting.

Step 4 - Get the lids warming in hot (but not boiling) water

Lids: put the very hot (but not quite boiling; around 180 F, steaming water is fine) water (or on the stove in a pot of water on low heat) for at least several minutes; to soften up the gummed surface
and clean and sanitize the lids.

Step 5 -Wash the berries and sort!

I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in a
colander of plain
cold water. (yes, these are pictures of blueberries; my camera died when I
canned the elderberry)

Then you need to pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft
or mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and
gently run your hands through the berries as they float. With your
fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries
get caught in your fingers.

Then
just drain off the water!

Step 6 - Make and heat the syrup

Depending upon which type of sweetener you want to use (sugar, no-sugar, Stevia (but you will have to experiment with amount, each brand of Stevia is a different concetration), or Splenda, or a mix of sugar and Stevia (or Splenda) or fruit juice) you will need to use a different
syrup from below. Adding syrup to canned fruit helps to retain its flavor,
color, and shape. It does not prevent spoilage of these foods. Heat the
syrup to near boiling in a pot.

Most people prefer the medium syrup (highlighted) or elderberry juice with
added sugar!

Sugar syrup proportions for 7 to 9-pint jars of
elderberries (double it for 9 quart jars)

Type of
syrup
(Choose ONE)

Water
(cups)

Fruit
juice
(cups)

Sugar
(cups)

Powdered
Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you'll need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer it

1

Plain water

7

0

0

0

2

no calorie sweetener

7

0

0

1/4 cup

3

Fruit juice (white grape or peach juice works well)

0

7

0

4

Reduce calorie / fruit juice

4

3

0

5

Fruit juice and Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you'll need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer,

0

7

0

1/2 cup

6

very low calorie

7

0

1/4

1/4 cup

7

very light (10% sugar)

7

0

1

0

8

light (20% sugar)

6

0

2

0

9

medium (30% sugar)

6

0

3

0

Nutrasweet (aspartame) will NOT work - it breaks down during
heating).

Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you'll need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, (sucralose) substitutes exactly with sugar BUT even the
manufacturers of Splenda will tell you that you get best results if you
just use a 50-50 mix; half regular sugar and half Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you'll need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, .

Sugar not only affects the sweetness, but also the color and flavor.
It does not affect the preserving or spoilage properties - that has to
do with acid and the processing method.

you can use "no sugar" pectin in place of "low sugar" pectin - you
can still add sugar or other sweeteners.

Step 7 - Add the natural preservative to the jars

Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice per quart jar or 1 tablespoon per
pint jar to each of the jars. Alternatively, you may add 1/2
teaspoon citric acid (also goes under the brand name "fruit fresh") per
quart or 1/4 teaspoon per pint to the jars. This is to increase the
acidity and help prevent discoloration and spoilage.

Step 8 - Fill
the jars with elderberries

Fill
jars with elderberries, gently tapping the bottom of the jar on the
countertop to help pack the elderberries down gently (tapping does it without
breaking the elderberries).

Note about "hot packing" vs. "raw packing". You may have
noticed that some recipes or canning directions call for the berries to
be heated in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds to several minutes
before filling the jars. That is the 'hot pack" method.
We're using the "raw pack" method (no preheating) because most berries
are delicate and would be adversely affected by the preheating, and
being small, it isn't needed to ensure uniform heating in the canner!

Step
9 -
Fill the airspace in the jars with syrup

Add the hot syrup from step 6, leaving 1/4 to 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe any
spills jam off the rim of the jar.

Step 10 - Put the lid /rings on and put in the
canner

Seat
the lid and tighten the ring around them. This is where the jar
tongs and lid lifter come in really handy! Place them into the canner

Step 13 - Process the jars in the
canner (either boiling
water bath or pressure canner)

You can use either a boiling water bath canner or a pressure canner,
since there is sufficient acidity in berries. In the water bath canner, keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water
boiling.

The
processing times are shown for each type of canner in the tables below!

To adjust, process according to the recommendations in the table below:

Recommended process time for raw pack Elderberriesin a
Boiling-water Canner.

Process Time at Altitudes of

Jar Size

0 - 1,000 ft

1,001 - 3,000 ft

3,001 - 6,000 ft

Above 6,000 ft

Pints

15 min

20

20

25

Quarts

20 min

25

30

35

Recommended process time for raw pack Elderberriesin a
Pressure Canner

Canner pressure (pounds of pressure) at altitudes of

Jar Size

Processing time

0 - 1,000 ft

1,001 and above

Pints

8 min

5 1b

10 1b

Quarts

10 min

5 1b

10 1b

Step 14 - Remove and cool the jars - Done!

Lift the jars out of the water in the water bath canner (wait till
pressure is zero in a pressure canner) and let them cool without touching or
bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.

Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last about
18 months. After that, the get darker in color and start to get
runny. They still seem safe to eat, but the flavor is bland. So
eat them in the first 12 to 18 months after you prepare them!

Other Equipment:

From left to right:

Jar lifting tongs
to pick up hot jars

Lid lifter
- to remove lids from the
pot
of boiling water
(sterilizing )

Lid
- disposable - you may only
use them once

Ring
- holds the lids on the jar until after
the jars cool - then you don't need
them

Canning jar funnel
- to fill the jars

You can get all of the tools in a kit here:

Home Canning Kits

Features:

Everything you need to get started with waterbath
canning (fruits,pickles, jams, jellies, salsa, sauces
and tomatoes)

21-1/2 qt. enamel water bath canner

Funnel, jar lifter, lid lifter, bubble freer
spatula

Ball Blue Book

This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)! There is also a simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a pressure canner, if you want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!

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Canning books

Canning & Preserving for Dummies by Karen Ward
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The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes Paperback - May 31, 2016

This is THE book on canning! My grandmother used this book when I
was a child. It tells you in simple instructions how to can almost
anything; complete with recipes for jam, jellies, pickles, sauces, canning
vegetables, meats, etc. If it can be canned, this book likely tells
you how! Click on the link below for more information and / or to buy (no
obligation to buy)

* - This assumes you already have the pots, pans, ladles, and
reusable equipment. Note that you can reuse the jars! If you already
have jars or reuse them, just buy new lids (the rings are reusable,
but the flat lids are not)!

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